Category Archives: How To

Preparing for and Surviving Your Home Renovation Project

Renovation Survival Tips Cover

It’s been awhile since I posted on the blog.  I’ve been “off the grid” for a good portion of February due to the kickoff of our interior redesign project…yey! As you might expect, I will be blogging extensively about my own redesign experience in the coming months.

Today, I’d like to share the wisdom of my dear friend Heidi, who recently completed an extensive home renovation project.  Her family of four (+dog) lived in their home during the renovation process, which brings with it certain…um…challenges. In preparation for my own project (which will not be nearly as large in scope as hers), I asked Heidi to share her key tips to prepare for AND survive a home renovation project.

Mentally Prepare for Chronic Chaos

If you are the type who likes everything “just so”, you will seriously need prepare yourself nentally for the temporary change in lifestyle that goes hand-in-hand with living in a “Renovation in Process” environment.  You will need to adopt the mantra that “this too shall pass”, and regularly remind yourself that the end result will be worth it!

renovation survival 8

Minimize the Spread of Construction Dust

If your project involves drywall installation, carpentry work, or painting, there will be dust. Sawdust. Drywall dust. Paint spray dust…EVERYWHERE.  The dust migrates all over the place; you will find it in just about every room of your home. Although construction dust is inevitable, there are things you can do to minimize it.
Heidi suggests packing away items that you will not need access to during the renovation process, in order to prevent them from being coated with construction dust. Also, consider investing in magnetic air vent covers to use in the areas of your home that are not being renovated. Another good practice is to seal the doorway between your living area and the renovation area via heavy-duty plastic drop cloths.Renovation Survival Tips 2

Establish Your Storage Areas

Renovation projects require the removal of the “stuff” that typically lives in the space…furniture, appliances, home decor, etc. You will need a place in your home to serve as a temporary holding area for this stuff while the project is underway.

Heidi was fortunate in that she had several areas available for this purpose…a large area in her basement, as well as a spare bedroom.  If you don’t have room onsite for temporary storage, explore options such as relocating items to an offsite storage unit/family member’s home, or investing in an onsite temporary storage unit (e.g., PODS).
Renovation Survival 9

Prepared to Make Decisions…Quickly

You will be flexing your decision-making muscle on a daily basis when you undergo an extensive home renovation. Paint colors, flooring, cabinetry, lighting and counter top selections…oh my! Selecting finishes can be a daunting process for the average homeowner. You will often be called upon to make decisions quickly so as not to hold up contractors.

Begin your research as early as possible so that you are in a good position to make those critical decisions when it’s time to do so. If you lack confidence in the design department, enlist the assistance of a professional or a trusted friend who has a knack for design.

Renovation Survival Tips 6

 Order Materials ASAP

Be vigilant about ordering all materials necessary for your renovation as soon as possible. You never know when you will be faced with waiting for a backordered item that will prevent your project from moving forward. Once your project is at a standstill, the contractors move onto other projects, and it can be a painful process as you wait for them to incorporate your project back into their schedule.

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Think Twice About D.I.Y. Efforts

You might be tempted to take on certain aspects of the renovation yourself, in order to save some cash. It makes sense to invest your sweat equity if you have expertise in a particular skill like electrical, plumbing, or drywall. If you are not an expert, you may want to think twice about D.I.Y.ing it. Heidi regrets their attempt at drywall patching (see below), and wished they would have left this piece of the project in the hands of the experts.

Renovation survival tips 5

Heidi’s final word of advise to me was to avoid letting your kids make paint color selections, or you might just end up with Kermit The Frog green in the hall bathroom! Of course, I already learned this lesson the hard way with my daughter’s room.

home renovation survival 4

Stay tuned for my next post, where you’ll get the opportunity to see the amazing transformation that occurred at Heidi’s home this past year!

 Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Organizing Kids’ Art

Organizing Kids Art1

Now that the school year is in full swing, it’s the ideal time to set up systems for processing the various types of paper that you’ll begin to find in your child’s backpack on a regular basis. In a previous post, I proposed a system for handling school memorabilia.  Today, we’ll tackle the vexing problem of what do with all of that artwork .

Create an Art Gallery Wall

Find a place in your home where you can prominently display your child’s best pieces of art. Your kids spend a great deal of time and effort producing these gems; creating formal displays that go beyond the front of the fridge demonstrate to them that you value their hard work and creativity! Switch out the pieces on a regular basis as new art comes in.

Organizing Kids Art1
In addition to using traditional frames to create a kids’ art gallery in your home, you can get creative!  One of my favorite methods for displaying art is to use a simple wire and clip system on a long wall. I also love the Lil’ Davinci Art Cabinet, which provides another hassle-free way to frequently change out your art display.

 Designate a Temporary Holding Container

For artwork that isn’t quite “gallery-worthy”, designate a container for each child that will serve as a temporary place for all incoming art to be stored until the end of the school year. Make sure that the container is sufficiently large to accommodate oversized paintings and 3-dimensional pieces. I like to use under-bed storage boxes, since that’s where the holding containers live at our house.

Organizing Kids art 3

Review Your Collection at Year’s End

At the conclusion of the school year, take some time to sort through the holding bin with your child and determine whether the collection needs to be culled down prior to “archiving” it. As you review the collection, you and your child will likely identify pieces that are not significant to either one of you (e.g., coloring pages, etc.).

Give yourself permission to discard these and keep only the pieces that reflect your child’s talent, creativity, and interests. I recommend conducting this end-of-year review with your child; that way, you won’t be tossing any piece that is important to her (even if you don’t attribute any significance to it).

Archive and Share Each Year’s Collection

Once you’ve culled your collection, you may choose to keep the original art and store it in an archival quality container. Alternatively, you can archive the collection by creating digital images of each piece of art. I am a huge fan of this method.  Not only does it eliminate the necessity of devoting space in your home for storing tons of artwork, it opens up so many possibilities for sharing your child’s precious creations!

Artsonia

Artsonia enables you to upload your digital images to create an online art gallery to share with friends and family. It also serves as a “virtual museum”, in which your child can display their artwork publicly on the web. This service is available to parents, as well as school teachers!

Organizing Kids Art 4

Artkive

The Artkive app is another option for creating an online art gallery that can be shared with family and friends. Artkive is a free app that boasts some great organizing features, including the ability to categorize your art by school grade, child, and child’s age. You can even name each piece of art. In addition, you have the ability to produce a photo book of your child’s art collection with a few clicks of a button.

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Photo Books

Creating digital images of your child’s art work enables you to take advantage of the dizzying array of online resources for creating digital photo books. Sites such as Shutterfly, MyPublisher, Snapfish, and Mixbook make it easy for anyone to create a photo book these days.

Organizing Kids  Art 6

You can create a digital photo book for each school year, or create larger books that curate art across several school years. I’ve created photo books for my children’s artwork using Artkive, Shutterfly and MyPublisher. These books can get pricey, so I suggest searching Groupon for current deals when you are ready to create your books.

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Photo books are a terrific way to enjoy your child’s artwork for years to come…

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 Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Organizing School Memorabilia

Organizing School Memorabilia cover

School memorabilia and art are common clutter culprits across many of my client’s homes. If you are a parent, you know how easy it is to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of keepsake papers, awards, drawings and progress reports that enter our homes each week. As the new school year begins, I highly recommend setting up a system to process and manage these papers NOW before the deluge reaches full force!

Don’t have a system? Here’s the one I recommend…

First, head down to your local office supply store and purchase a portable file box for each child (the 12-gallon Flip Top File Box from Staples is the perfect size), a box of hanging files/tabs, and some shipping labels (I recommend Avery 3 1/3×4″ labels).  You’ll need 14 folders/tabs/labels per child.

organizing school memorabilia4

Designate a file folder for each school year (including preschool and kindergarten) using the clear file folder tabs to label each folder (this is where a label maker comes in handy!). In addition, affix a label to the front of each folder that provides a bit more detail regarding each school year. For example, I chose to include the year(s), school, and teacher(s) for that particular grade. I also like to affix a school picture to the front of each folder…cute, eh?

organizing school memorabilia3

If you use Avery shipping labels, there’s a handy dandy online tool for creating custom labels. I recommend creating and printing all 14 labels at one time, even if your little cutie is only a preschooler this year. That way, you’ll have consistent labels across the folders and won’t have to worry about trying to recreate the labels if your digital file somehow gets misplaced in future years. As you can see below, my label sheets for future grades are all ready to go for my 3rd grader.

Organizing School Memorabilia2

Below, I’ve shared some examples of the types of things that can live in the memorabilia folders.  For example, my daughter’s 4th grade folder contains key projects for that grade, papers that represent proud accomplishments (e.g., passing the timed test for division!), programs for school-related events, and assignments that reflect her current thinking and interests.

organizing school memorabilia

You can choose to include other non-school memorabilia items accumulated during the year as well, which is what I’ve chosen to do. For example, my daughter’s swim team ribbons and Girl Scout memorabilia are contained in these folders as well. Depending on how selective you are when it comes to retaining your child’s art work, you can choose to include a few key pieces of art in the folders as well. I generally recommend a separate method for organizing and storing art, which I will outline in a forthcoming blog post.

The beauty of this system is that it puts a limit on what you can keep.

This process serves as a great example of using what we call in the organizing biz a “limiting container”. By choosing this container, I’ve set a limit on what is an acceptable amount of “real estate” for school memorabilia to occupy in my home. This volume is what feels comfortable for me; of course, you may be willing to accept a much larger real estate footprint in your home if you have great difficulty parting with sentimental items OR you have a significantly larger home.

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  Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Designer Trick: How to Hang Drapery Panels for Maximum Impact

Want an easy way to achieve a designer look in your living space?  Pay attention to how you hang your drapery panels.  A common designer trick is to hang drapery panels “high and wide” for maximum impact.

Take a look at this great illustration, which shows a rendering of drapes hung short and close verses those hung high and wide…

Homegoods illustration drapery

Source

Same window, buy very different look.  Don’t you agree?

Hang ’em Wide

Extending the curtain rod three to six inches beyond the frame on each side provides many decorating “benefits”. Not only does it beef up a window’s focal point potential, it allows extra light to flood the room (especially important when staging a home for sale) as well as enabling a clear view of the outdoors. If you are lucky enough to have beautiful window mouldings, you can hang your drapery panels wide enough to show them off.

 Hang ’em High

When you hang drapery panels closer to the ceiling line rather than at window trim height, it creates the illusion of grandeur in the form of a higher ceiling.  Don’t believe me?  Take a look for yourself…

curtain designer trick 1

Here’s another “Before” and “After” from my design files that illustrates the dramatic effect of this simple change…

curtain designer trick 2

In order to achieve this look, you’ll either have to modify standard 84″ panels by adding on a coordinating material to lengthen the panels (click here for a tutorial), or purchase 96″ drapery panels.  Some great resources for purchasing 96″ panels include:  West Elm, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Overstock.com, ZGallerie, and Target.

Although my preference is to hang the panels as high as possible, you can choose to hang them within a few inches of your ceiling line,or half way between the top of your window trim and your ceiling line.  Whatever you choose, be sure that the bottom of the panels skim the floor.

Let me leave you with some additional examples that demonstrate how proper panel placement can add style and visual interest to your room!

drapery round up

Photo credits:

1 – Relaxdeco.com

2 – Loomdecor.com

3 – Tarafree.blogspot.ca

4 –  OneKingsLane.com

5 – Indulgy.com

6 – Elledecor.com

7 – Homegoods.com

8 – Betterhomesandgardens.com

9 – Myhomeideas.com

 Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher or Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com or connect via: Facebook Pinterest | Twitter | LinkedIn

Managing Your Print Photo Collection: Step 2 – Safeguard

 
In Part I of Managing Your Print Photo Collection, we gathered our photos together with our photo organizing “tool box” on hand, and decided which photos were “keepers”. We then determined the sorting themes/categories for our collection, after first performing a rough chronological sort. Once we’ve completed the sorting and purging process, we need to take the necessary steps to safeguard our photos for the long-term.

 

SAFEGUARDING YOUR PRINT PHOTOS

 

  • Use only archival-quality photo boxes (to store B Photos) and albums (to display A Photos). Archival quality products are acid and lignin-free, so they will not accelerate the natural deterioration process inherent in print photos. Some great sources for these products include: Archival Methods and University Products.

 

  • Scan your print photo collection to create a digital version of your photos. If you have the time and the right equipment, you can complete this job yourself. Alternatively, you can outsource this task and have a professional photo organizer complete it for you. You’ll need to decide if it’s worth the investment to digitize your entire collection, or perhaps just your “A Photos”.
  • Once your collection is digitized, put a redundant back-up system in place so that your digitized print photo collection AND your collection of digital images are protected. Your back-up system should include an external hard drive back-up, as well as storage “in the cloud”. There are a large number of cloud-based options, including those that offer storage only (e.g. Drop Box, Carbonite), as well as websites that include photo management features as well as photo storage (e.g., Flickr, Photobucket). You may also want to consider using Picture Keeper as part of your back-up system. When you plug this flash drive device into your computer, it automatically finds and copies all image files located throughout your computer’s hard drive.

To make it even easier for you to put a back-up system in place for your photos, Picture Keeper is offering a deep discount on their products during the month of November:

 

Save 28% on Entire Purchase with Free Shipping!

 

Once you’ve organized and safeguarded your print photo collection, it becomes much easier to integrate these precious memories back into your life. By creating digital photo books, online albums and traditional scrapbooks for yourself and others, you and your family members will be able to enjoy reliving these special moments for years to come.

 

 

Need assistance putting a back-up system in place for your photo collection? Contact Natalie Gallagher at Refined Rooms LLC to learn more about photo organizing services.  We are a proud member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers.
 

Managing Your Print Photo Collection: Step 1 – Organize

PAPER REFINEMENT SERIES

Did you know that Paper Management is the number one reason that people hire a professional organizer?  Despite our society’s best efforts to “go paperless”, excess paper clutter is a universal challenge in the homes in which I work.  This post is the second in a series of blog posts that will focus on paper management.


If you ask people what possessions they are most likely to salvage from their home if it was on fire, they are likely to say their photo collection.  Ironically, managing our photo collections is typically a very low priority on our “To Do” list.  Dealing with those shoeboxes full of print photos is one of those tasks that most people plan to tackle “someday”.   A disaster is not the only way photos can be destroyed.  If your photos are improperly stored, you run the risk of losing your precious memories to damage caused by acidic papers, inks, and glues, as well as mold and mildew.  By setting aside time to properly organize and safeguard your old print photos, you will be better able to enjoy them and share them with others for many generations to come.  In today’s post, I’ll provide some basic tips for tackling the organizing process.

ORGANIZING YOUR PRINT PHOTOS

  • If your photos are scattered throughout your home, the first step is to gather all of your photos (including loose photos and photo albums) in one central location.  This location should contain a large, flat work surface.  A dining room table works great for this purpose.

  • Before you begin sorting photos, make sure you have the necessary tools available.  Your photo organizing “tool box” should include:
    • Cotton gloves (to protect photos from skin oils)
    • Post-It notes/pen (for labeling your categories)
    • Photo safe pencils (for writing notes on the back of photos)
    • Dental floss/hair dryer (for removing stubborn photos from any “peel and stick albums”).
  • Complete an initial “rough sort” by sorting your photos by decade, using shoe boxes to contain each decade.
  • Next, go through each “decade box” and fine-tune your sort.   I recommend sorting photos by theme.  Some common themes include:  Holidays, Travel/Vacations, Sporting Events, School Days, Celebrations, etc.  Sorting categories are based on both your personal preference and the content of your particular collection.

 

  • As you complete the fine-tuned sort, implement the “ABC’S Method” (developed by the Association of Personal Photo Organizers) to determine which photos to throw away, pass along to others, archive in boxes, and set aside for display/sharing:
    • A Photos:  A stands for Album.  These are your most important and cherished photos; to be displayed in an album, frame, and/or shared online with others;
    • B Photos:  B Stands for Box.  These photos are important enough to keep, but not worthy of displaying necessarily; to be stored in archival quality boxes;
    • C Photos C Stands for Can (as in Trash Can!). These photos are not worthy of keeping; to be thrown away (blurry, unflattering) or given to others (duplicates);
    • S PhotosS Stands for Story.  These photos that might seem unimportant at first (for example, an older photo of a random house), but actually tell an important family story (the photo is the house in which your grandfather grew up).
  • Try to move as quickly as possible during the sorting process and avoid reminiscing.  There will be plenty of time for that once your project is complete!

In my next post, we’ll discuss the ways in which you can safeguard your print photo collection once the organization process is complete.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com

Refined Rooms LLC is a proud member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers!

Manuals, Warranties, and Receipts…Oh My!

 

Paper Refinement Series

Did you know that Paper Management is the number one reason that people hire a professional organizer?  Despite our society’s best efforts to “go paperless”, it has certainly been my experience working as a professional organizer that excess paper clutter is a universal challenge in the homes in which I work.  As such, today I am posting the first in a series of blog posts that will focus on paper management.


 

Organizing Manuals, Warranties & Receipts

 
Let’s begin with organizing all of the reference paperwork for product purchases.  A common source of paper clutter that I come across in client’s homes is product manuals, warranties, and receipts for big-ticket items.  I have a favorite method for corralling all of these when on the job.  Until recently, however, I had not found the time to properly organize my own set of manuals (ever hear that saying about the cobbler’s children who have no shoes?  Sometimes this holds true for organizers too)!  As you can see from the picture below, these papers were taking up an entire drawer in my filing cabinet.  As part of my recent file cabinet overhaul, my goal was to free up the filing cabinet drawer for storing my business-related files.

 

 

As you might have guessed, the first step in the process is to gather all the paper into a central location and begin sorting into categories.  I suggest that you set aside papers for home improvement purchases (i.e., carpeting, plumbing fixtures) and large appliances.  These papers should be placed in a separate binder to be given to the new homeowner in the event that you sell your home.   That leaves you with the papers for items that would go with you in the event of a move.  Depending upon your consumer tendencies, your piles may look something like this:
 

 

During the sorting process, have the recycle bin close at hand, as you will invariably come across manuals and warranties for items you no longer own, especially if it’s been a few years since you’ve tended to these files:

 

 

My preferred method for containing all of these papers is to use 3-ring binders that use poly binder pockets with Velcro closures for each category of products.  Staples has a binder pocket that works great for this purpose, and can accommodate up to 200 pages per pocket (see below).  I use stick-on filing tabs (see below) to label the product categories.

 

 

Take a peek at what the binder looks like when fully assembled:
 


 

One binder is rarely sufficient for the average household with kids.  In fact, our papers required a total of four binders to contain all of our product manual/warranty information (the three binders for “portable” products below, as well as our binder for stuff that will stay with the house).
 
The final step is to create a cover sheet and a spine insert for the binder that summarizes the product categories contained within each binder:
 

 
Of course, for those who are really on the “paperless” bandwagon, you can often bypass this whole process by searching for the PDF versions of the product manuals online, as most manufacturers are making manuals available electronically now.

To learn more about paper organizing/management and Natalie Gallagher, visit http://www.refinedroomsllc.com

 

What to Consider When Selecting Exterior Light Fixtures

When we purchased our new spec home over 8 years ago, it came with mostly builder-grade features that we’ve worked diligently over the years to replace/upgrade. This fall, the exterior light fixtures finally made it to the top of our “Replace/Upgrade list”.

exterior lights before

One of the easiest ways to freshen up a home’s exterior is to replace dated, tired light fixtures. This is true whether you are staging your home to sell, or you simply can’t stand looking at the hideous builder-grade fixtures that came with your home one minute longer!  When this task finally made it to the front burner of our Home Improvement List, I set out on my quest to find the perfect replacement fixtures. I’m really happy with the choice we made!  Here’s a close up photo of the old and new fixtures:

Exterior Lights Before After

Quite an improvement, don’t you think? So what considerations should you keep in mind when shopping for wall-mounted exterior lights? I’m so glad you asked…

Mounting Height

As you begin your search, keep in mind that the ideal vertical placement of exterior fixtures should be slightly above eye level and below the top of your front door. If your junction box (i.e., the location where the light is installed to the wall) is located high on the wall, then you will want to select a fixture in which the fixture body falls below the junction box (like the “After” photo above).

Color/Style

When it comes to selecting a color/style of fixture, take cues from your home’s architectural features and color palette. No matter how much you are personally drawn to a particular style of light, it must be consistent with the style of your home (e.g., coastally inspired fixtures belong on a coastal home).  For example, I selected oil-rubbed bronze fixtures since they relate to the finish of our door hardware, as well as the copper roof that is adjacent to the front door. The simple, classic lines of the new fixture are also consistent with our home’s transitional style.

Size

The most common mistake people make is to select lights that are undersized. Don’t assume that the builder-installed fixture is the correct size for you home, since they often install smaller fixtures in order to cut costs. A good rule of thumb for the front door area is to select a fixture that is 1/3 the height of the door if there is only one light, and 1/4 the height of the door if there is a set of lights flanking the door.

Illumination

Finally, you need to consider the degree of illumination produced by the fixture(s). When making your selection, pay attention to the number and wattage of light bulbs that the fixture requires, as well as the type of glass (clear vs. opaque vs. seeded) it features.  All of these features will determine how much light is produced by the fixture.

exterior lights after

Some of my favorite sources for exterior lighting include: Shades of Light, Wayfair, Bellacor, Lighting Universe, and Lamps Plus.  These online stores have a vast selection of on trend lighting (relative to what you will find in your local Big Box home improvement stores), and they typically offer free shipping.
One final tip to keep in mind after you install your fixtures…be sure to use a clear silicone caulk to seal the perimeter of the fixture, in order to prevent moisture, insects, etc. from entering the junction box.  It appears that our builder skipped this step.  As a consequence, we had to contend with rusted out hardware and a beehive during the installation process.
exterior lights 3